Latest news with #MalaysiaOpen2025
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Dane Antonsen ends bane of being second best at Indonesian Open
Denmark's Anders Antonsen react during the men's single match at the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: It was third time lucky for Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen in the Indonesian Open. Antonsen, who finished runners-up in the 2019 and 2024 editions, finally got his hands on the title by overpowering Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen 22-20, 21-14 at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta yesterday. It was also sweet revenge for the world No. 3 after he was denied by world No. 7 Tien-chen in the 2019 final. Antonsen did not have it easy as he was behind 17-20 in the first game but pulled off an astonishing comeback to stun the 35-year-old. The Dane then used the momentum well to wrap up the match in an hour. Antonsen, who played through pain, was thrilled to end his wait for the crown. "First of all, I want to thank all the fans. Istora Senayan is a fantastic place to play badminton," said Antonsen. "It has changed my life for sure since I first won the Indonesian Masters title here in 2019. "It's an incredible place and I'm really grateful for another final here. "I take a lot of painkillers and my body is pretty banged up. It's tough playing men's singles. I was fighting super hard. "This is my third time playing in this tournament and I wanted to win so badly," added Antonsen. It was Antonsen's first title of the year after he finished runners-up in the Malaysian Open in January and Thailand Open last month. Istora Senayan has always been a happy hunting ground for the 28-year-old as he won the Indonesian Masters in 2019 and 2024. Meanwhile, in the women's singles, South Korea's world No. 1 An Se-young captured her second title in the tourney after brilliantly coming from behind to beat China's world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi 13-21, 21-19, 21-15 in 81 minutes. Se-young added to her crown in 2021 and created history by becoming the first women's singles player to triumph in three World Tour Super 1000 competitions in the same year. The 23-year-old also claimed the Malaysian Open and All-England titles this year.
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tang Jie blames semi-final loss to Thai pair on his unforced errors
National mixed double shuttler Toh Ee Wei - Chen Tang Jie react during quarter-final match at the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttler Chen Tang Jie did not shy away from taking responsibility for his defeat with Toh Ee Wei at the hands of Thailand's in-form pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran in the Indonesian Open semi-finals. Tang Jie-Ee Wei were hoping to make it into their first ever World Tour Super 1000 final but were denied by Singapore Open champions Dechapol-Supissara, losing 23-21, 15-21, 11-21 in 65 minutes at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta yesterday. Tang Jie was disappointed with his performance and felt that his unforced errors during crucial moments in the match played a part in the world No. 4 pair's loss. "We tried to find a way to attack but near the net, I made a lot of unnecessary errors," lamented Tang Jie in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). "That's the difference today (yesterday) as the Thai pair performed better than us but I'm responsible for the defeat too. "I think in the first game, the difference was we did better in handling the shuttle in the mid court area. "I changed my strategy in the second game as we were playing against the draught but it did not work." Ee Wei said: "We did break through to win the first game but in the second game, when it was point to point, we never grabbed the chance." Tang Jie-Ee Wei did well to fight back from 17-20 and 20-21 down to win the first game but could not maintain their performance in the second and deciding games. Dechapol-Supissara are now fast becoming Tang Jie-Ee Wei's bogey pair after also beating them in the Japan Masters first round last November and Indonesian Masters quarter-finals in January. The Malaysian duo's sole victory over the Thai pair came in the Indian Open second round in January. Tang Jie-Ee Wei need to quickly find a way to overcome Dechapol-Supissara, who have become one of the best pairs in the world since combining only last year. The Thais captured four titles before adding the Singapore Open to their collection and are now just one win away from their sixth crown. Standing in their way to the title today will be either world No. 10 French duo Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue or China's world No. 11 Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi. Meanwhile, it was still an encouraging showing for Tang Jie-Ee Wei in only their second individual competition since reuniting in April following a brief split due to a strained relationship. The pair improved on their performance in the Singapore tourney where they suffered a second-round exit. Tang Jie-Ee Wei will next take a break from tournaments before switching their focus to the back-to-back Japan Open (July 15-20) and China Open (July 22-27).
The Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Goh-Izzuddin's world No. 1 spot could soon be under threat if they don't lift their game
Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei - Nur Izzuddin in action for mens double match during the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: Reaching world No. 1 is hard but maintaining the top position seems even tougher. Men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who surged to the coveted spot last month, are struggling for consistency and are in danger of relinquishing their position if they don't find a way to improve fast. Sze Fei-Izzuddin's run in the Indonesian Open ended in the quarter-finals after they narrowly went down 19-21, 21-9, 19-21 to world No. 8 homesters Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza at a packed Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Friday. The independent pair were looking good to make the semis when they led 17-14 and 19-17 in the deciding game but could not hold on and ended up losing in 57 minutes. It was Sze Fei-Izzuddin's third quarter-final exit in a row after they also suffered the same fate in the Malaysian Masters and Singapore Open. The duo have failed to progress to the last four in any of their competitions since capturing the Indian Open title in January. Sze Fei-Izzuddin will remain as the world No. 1 for now after their closest challengers for the top spot, Denmark's world No. 2 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rassmussen and world No. 3 teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik suffered early exits in the Indonesian tourney but could be overtaken next month if they don't rediscover their best form. Sze Fei-Izzuddin have two important back-to-back tournaments coming up next month – the Japan Open from July 15-20 and China Open from July 22-27. The pair won both the competitions last year and will be under pressure to reach the finals again in both to protect their ranking points and maintain their No. 1 position. Sze Fei-Izzuddin admitted that after losing to Sabar-Moh they needed to get used to the pressure of being at the top. "Our opponents controlled their emotions well during the last few points while we were quite nervous," said Izzuddin in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Sze Fei said: "These are the things we need to improve on and we hope to do better next time. "The pressure is always there. It depends on how we handle the expectations." Going through ups and downs is normal and the onus is now on Sze Fei-Izzuddin to fight back and prove that they deserve to remain as the world's best pair.
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Good news as two men's doubles pairs assured of q-finals spots
Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei - Nur Izzuddin in action for mens double match during the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: Even before the second-round matches get underway tomorrow (June 5), Malaysia are already assured of having at least two men's doubles pairs in the quarter-finals of the Indonesian Open. World No. 1 duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will face veterans Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub, while Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are set to take on Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi in another all-Malaysian clash. For Wee Kiong-Azriyn, there was a sense of relief after they finally cleared the opening round on Tuesday, defeating China's Xie Haonan-Zeng Weihan 21-17, 21-12. The pair had suffered seven consecutive first-round exits since the German Open in February. Ironically, the last time they progressed beyond the first round was also in Jakarta, at the Indonesia Masters on January where they were stopped by the same Chinese pair. 'Our last meeting with Haonan-Weihan was here in Indonesia, so we didn't have much confidence at the start. But after a few rallies, Azriyn found his rhythm. He led the way today (Tuesday) and we got back on track,' said Wee Kiong in an interview with BWF. 'For me, it's about using my experience to guide us. I let Azriyn do most of the court coverage as we try to close the gap with the top pairs. Hopefully, we can keep up this momentum.' Wee Kiong, 36, and Azriyn, 31, know they are no longer in their prime, but beyond chasing victories, they are also looking to enjoy the matches they play. In their past three meetings, Wee Kiong-Azriyn have only beaten Sze Fei-Izzuddin once, during the second round of the Kumamoto Masters last year. However, in their most recent clash at the Indian Open in March, they fell to the younger pair. 'At our age, we're still trying to achieve something. Of course, we want to enjoy the game and create something special in our careers. 'We've managed to clear the first hurdle, but we have to stay focused,' he added.
The Star
6 days ago
- General
- The Star
Tang Jie-Ee Wei clear first round, but yet to regaining synergy on court
National mixed double shuttler Toh Ee Wei - Chen Tang Jie react during quarter-final match at the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star PETALING JAYA: Regaining rhythm and rebuilding chemistry is never easy, even after a short separation. That's the challenge facing mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who are still trying to rediscover their synergy on court after being reunited recently. The duo cleared their opening hurdle at the Indonesian Open yesterday, defeating India's Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto 21-11, 16-21, 21-14. But it was far from a convincing display. Tang Jie-Ee Wei looked tense at times and struggled to find answers against their resilient opponents, but did just enough to pull through to the second round. 'I think they're always tough opponents because they're aggressive, physically strong and skilful,' said Tang Jie in an interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF). 'Like Toh (Ee Wei), I'm still trying to regain my rhythm on court. That's why we keep pushing, stay motivated and support each other to get it back.'
